Luggage today often is in the form of a garment bag, the bag containing clothes on hangers and being foldable for carrying but unfoldable to hang on a rod. Typically, such luggage includes a flexible hook assembly, the hook being mounted on a chain which in turn is attached to internal structure within the luggage for supporting the clothes on hangers and which, in some cases, also shapes the end of the bag.
Flexible hook assemblies of this sort cause many problems. First, some way must be found to attach them to the luggage when they are not in use. Such attachment often proves unsatisfactory, or for one reason or another is not used, thereby allowing the hook to damage and catch on other luggage, on baggage conveyors and other things. (This is a major cause of damage to both luggage and conveyors. See for example "Trauma of Lost Luggage," USA Today, Feb. 16-18, 1990, page 1) Second, because the hook attachment is flexible, the hook must be held as it is being placed on a rod; this requires both hands to hang the garment bag, one holding the bag and other the luggage. Thus, to hang the bag a person must put down everything else that they may have been carrying, detach the hook from the bag and then use both hands to hang it on a rod. Similarly, to detach the hook and bag from a rod it is necessary to again use both hands, requiring the person who wishes to detach the bag to put down anything else they may be carrying. Also, such hook constructions do not permit the hook to be used for anything else; the hook for example when stowed cannot be used to carry the bag.
For these and other reasons there has long existed the need for a suitable hook assembly for portable containers such as luggage that can be easily and conveniently stored then positioned for use, and which operation may be effected if desired with one hand. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment.